1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a carrying bag worn on a belt around a user""s waist, the bag containing an inflatable bladder serving as a lumbar support when the bag is worn against the lower back by a seated user.
2. State of the Prior Art
So-called fanny packs consist of a zippered pouch worn on a belt either over the belly or the back side (fanny) of the user""s person. Fanny packs are popular as they serve the function of a handbag or purse without tying up the user""s hands, and are also more secure against loss or theft by snatching.
Lumbar supports serve to provide support to the normally concave portion of the spinal column along the lower back when in a seated position. It is easy for the lower back to be pushed outwardly in a sitting position, which is undesirable for comfort and health. The benefits of lumbar supports have been widely recognized and many seats are now equipped with them. Still, there remain many situations where additional lumbar support is needed. Presently, lumbar support pillows including inflatable pillows may be used for this purpose. However, the need to keep such pillows on hand is an inconvenience, such that the lumbar support may not be available when needed.
The aforementioned need is addressed by this invention which provides a combination fanny pack with inflatable lumbar support comprising a bag, a zippered opening into the bag, a belt for securing the bag to a person""s lower back, an inflatable bladder in the bag; a hand operated air pump external to the bag, and an air hose passing through an opening into the bag and connecting the pump for delivering pressurized air to the bladder. The combination fanny pack may also have a pump holder on the bag or the belt, such as a pump pocket with a flap for securing the pump in the pocket when the pump is not in use. Preferably, the pump holder is exterior to the bag.
The bladder has a width, a height and a thickness dimension, and the bladder is inflatable by pressurized air from the pump primarily for increasing its thickness dimension. The combination also has an air valve operable to a closed condition to keep the bladder in an inflated state and operable to an open condition for releasing air from or admitting air into the bag. A partition in the bag may be provided for substantially containing the bladder against an interior surface of the bag thereby to clear a portion of the bag interior for other bag contents. The partition may be a mesh or net supported within the bag, selected to be expandable with inflation of the air bladder.
The hand operated air pump may include a rubber bulb connected to the air hose and a valve associated with the rubber bulb operable for releasing or holding air in the bag. One or more additional pockets may be provided on the bag and or the belt for additional carrying capacity. In a preferred form of the invention the bag is made primarily of cloth such as a ballistic nylon fabric.
More particularly, the bag has a rear wall, a front wall joined to the rear wall at opposite sides of the bag, a top and a bottom, and a partition in the bag for supporting the bladder against the rear wall. The partition may extend between opposite sides of the bag. The air hose opening may be defined between the front wall and the rear wall on one of the opposite sides of the bag. It is also preferred that the air hose slides freely through the hose opening relative to the bag.
These and other features, improvements and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.